Prices at 4 hospitals in Columbus, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,369 — 164% above the US median ($1,278), roughly 11.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Methodist Hospital | Columbus, OH | $3,369 | $2,294 | ★ 4/5 | 230 min | — |
| Grant Medical Center | Columbus, OH | $3,369 | $2,294 | ★ 2/5 | 158 min | — |
| Doctors Hospital | Columbus, OH | $3,369 | $2,304 | ★ 4/5 | 178 min | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $3,369 — about 11.9× the Medicare rate ($284). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($568).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,183 list price could save about $1,814 (35%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Columbus
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Shaheen, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 73 |
| Sameer Mittal, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Columbus, OH | 59 |
| Kiley Schrader, CNP | Nurse Practitioner | Columbus, OH | 53 |
| Ryan Beer | Physician Assistant | Columbus, OH | 49 |
| Michael Macatol, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 40 |
| Stephen Jung, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 34 |
| Nicholas Romano, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 32 |
| Timothy Smullen, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 32 |
| William Mitchell, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 28 |
| Laurian Dean, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Columbus, OH | 28 |
| Kevin Aukerman, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 27 |
| Erin Shropshire, MD | Interventional Radiology | Columbus, OH | 26 |
All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices in Ohio → · All Abdominal fluid drain (paracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Columbus